SOPA May Not Be the Answer, But Digital Piracy Is Still a Problem

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copying is not stealing.
The world has moved on. The digital age is making these institutions obsolete. Cinema sales are at an all time low. DVD rentals are closing down worldwide.
The internet will win out, no matter how much screaming, complaining and fighting the entertainment megacorps try, they will not stop the tide now. It is too late, they are finished, and they know it.

mimthefree 7:52AM March 24, 2012

Paragraph 4 has got to be the single most idiotic piece of trash I have seen on this subject. For god's sake, take some history classes. Take some copyright law classes. Trademark, patent, entertainment law. Something!
Newspapers have also been involved in criminal activity. How many con-artists put their rip off ads in the classifieds ever single day. The telephone and postal service have also been used for nefarious purposes. The public school system has got to be the biggest conduit for bullying and bad behavior in history, and you want pin this crap on facebook? If this isn't a pointless hit job looking to put out some bad "internet company" publicity...maybe you should have to pay Facebook and Google for having typed their name into your story, since those keywords will likely drive readers to your site.
what makes you qualified to speak on this subject? do you realize that the publishing industry fought tooth and nail for years with big piles of money and an army of lawyers in order to avoid paying journalists, writers, and editors their fair share of revenue from digital media? why would you believe anything they have to say without doing some "primary research'?
Do you realize how many scribes are out of work because of the invention of the printing press?
Did you know that musicians unions did their level best to keep pre-recorded music from ever becoming available to consumers?
Did you know that the recording cylinder, the turntable, the cassette deck, the vcr all had to be fought for in court by consumer advocates?
The music industry did not even want you to be able to buy and sell used music at record/cd shops. And the movie industry did not want you to be able to rent a movie!
What makes you trust the fat cats at Sony/BMG/Universal/GangsterMediaCartel any more than google, facebook, or Craigslist?
Copyright was never intended to go on for centuries with infinitely renewable terms. Big business lobbyists have twisted the original intent beyond recognition.
Were the "content" companies to have their way, we would have never had public libraries, school teachers would not be able to teach, and Ben Franklin would be turning over in his grave.
It's not the government's job to enforce some hollywood porno company's business model. If they can't figure out how to make money, then let them get out of the way. I'm sure someone else will show them how it's done.
You want piracy? Go to a flea market. Or half the street corners in NYC. i hear new yorkers have knockoff rolex and louis vuitton coming out of their ears.

John Hancock of TN 3:59AM March 20, 2012

There are people that are going to spend their time duplicating content and there is nothing you can do to stop them. And to be clear it is duplicating content. Its not stealing, because the creator didn't lose anything. The only time the creator loses any money is if the duplicator deprives them of a sale.
If the creator wants to increase sales what they need to do is to deliver products people want in a manner that they want them. That unfortunately has been a problem for the content creators for the last century because they don't like new technology. The same people upset about the internet now were upset about DVD and VHS which now constitute a signficant if not majority source of their revenue.

WillBest of IL 6:18PM February 02, 2012

The tech industry never met a pirate it didn't love . . .

txpatriot of TX 10:43AM January 20, 2012

Nonya Damn Bidness of OK
Sorry...
Stealing copy-writed material is illegal. Devises able to copy such material is irrelevant. Was not purpose of them. Example, you can buy a gun. Your logic is gun companies responsible for you holding up a bank. You knew such use was against the law.
Be more careful, “You're an idiot and clearly do not understand the issues”...

Bill Hedges of MO 8:44AM January 20, 2012

Madame, most respectfully. You're an idiot and clearly do not understand the issues. The media companies that are crying foul the loudest, are the very same ones that delivered said piracy software to the masses AND TAUGHT THEM TO USE IT.
After reading this inane diatribe of yours, your time would be better spent in the kitchen making sammiches.

Nonya Damn Bidness of OK 4:54PM January 19, 2012

You missed a key point. Many of the same companies and interests that support Net Neutrality -- which is government regulation of the infrastructure of the Internet in their favor - are opposing SOPA and PIPA using the argument that government should not be allowed to regulate that same Internet. I guess it depends on who owns the ox being gored.

P. 3:43PM January 19, 2012